Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Afghanistan instead of China, you would:

Health

be 11.3% less likely to be obese

In China, 6.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Afghanistan, that number is 5.5% of people as of 2016.

live 23.3 years less

In China, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2020. In Afghanistan, that number is 53 years (51 years for men, 54 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

pay a 55.6% lower top tax rate

China has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In Afghanistan, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.

make 89.0% less money

China has a GDP per capita of $18,200 as of 2018, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $2,000 as of 2017.

be 6.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In China, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Afghanistan, that number is 23.9% as of 2017.

be 16.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In China, 3.3% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 54.5% as of 2017.

Life

have 3.2 times more children

In China, there are approximately 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Afghanistan, there are 36.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

be 22.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In China, approximately 29.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Afghanistan, 638.0 women do as of 2017.

be 55.6% less likely to be literate

In China, the literacy rate is 96.8% as of 2018. In Afghanistan, it is 43.0% as of 2018.

be 9.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In China, approximately 11.4 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, 104.3 children do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 15.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In China, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2016. In Afghanistan, 84% of the population do as of 2012.

be 75.1% less likely to have internet access

In China, approximately 54.3% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Afghanistan, about 13.5% do as of 2018.

be 24.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In China, approximately 93% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Afghanistan, that number is 70% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2017.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Afghanistan Revenue Department, State Administration of Taxation.

Afghanistan: At a glance

Afghanistan is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 652,230 sq km. Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. KARZAI was re-elected in August 2009 for a second term. Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government.
Read more

How big is Afghanistan compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Afghanistan. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.